The new girl in town
by LeahClearwater.Wink-wink
Summary: three months after Sandy leaves, Soda meets a new girl. Problems come thier way. Can they be together forever? Lame summary, please read and review! Rated T to be safe
1. Introduction

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Soda POV**

Three months- three long, lonely months without Sandy. Even though I could never forgive her for cheating on me, part of me will always miss her.

It was a Saturday in the middle of July. I wanted to be outside, playing football or at the beach, anything. But no, I had to work until five. At least Steve was there, I'd go mad if he wasn't.

"Okay," he interrupted my thoughts. "There are exactly 375 squares on this floor." He looked very proud of himself.

"Exactly?" I asked skeptically.

"I don't know, something like that." He answered back. "Who comes to a gas station when it's hot enough out to melt your car?" Steve practically yelled.

Ironically, two girls were just getting out of a car and were on their way in.

"Who's that?" I asked. I knew one of them since she was a regular. The other girl I had never seen before.

"Olivia Wood. She just moved here from San Diego. I saw her in school yesterday."

She was pretty. Olivia Wood had straight red hair, the kind that you could spot a mile away because of its brightness.

"Who in their right mind would move from California to Oklahoma?" I asked.

"Her dad got a good job here or something."

"Oh."

She walked in.

**Olivia POV**

'Oh, great,' I thought to myself. 'That creepy guy in my English class who keeps poking me with a pencil works here.' I didn't recognize the other one. He was hot though. Yet another reason I hated having to move here- not knowing the only cute guy in town.

Leah and I walked in the DX station. We walked straight to the register.

"Um, we're getting a fill up on pump 3 and I'll take these," I said as I picked up two packs of cigarettes from the shelf next to me and put them down on the counter.

"Livvy, I thought you quit smoking." Leah said to me.

"I did, my dad didn't."

"I'm Soda Curtis," the mystery hot cashier said abruptly. "Soda, like the drink."

"Um, hey, Soda like the drink. I'm Olivia Wood. Wood, like the stuff that comes from trees." I said back. He burst out laughing. Great, hottest guy in town is crazy.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"He's fine." Steve said.

We paid and left.

"That was weird." Leah said from the passenger seat.

"Yeah."


	2. Second Encounter

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS!!!!!! Just Olivia and Leah

**Soda POV**

I was watching TV that night at my house with Ponyboy and Darry. It was the first night in a while that nobody was over at my house on a Saturday night. But none of our friends were allowed over that night because Ponyboy had been trouble with English, and we got him a tutor.

The first tutor quit because Two-Bit kept asking her if she was single, sober, or had a sister. The second tutor quit after Steve farted in her face (literally). Third time's the charm though.

Pony asked me to proof read an essay for school. I warned him that I can't even spell most words right myself, but he insisted.

Thank God that the doorbell rang half way through the first sentence.

"I'll get that!" I said before anyone else had a chance. The last thing I wanted to do was Make Pony correct something when it didn't need it. He'd fail soon enough.

I opened the door. I couldn't believe _she_ was Pony's new tutor. Before me stood Olivia Wood.

"Hey, you're Soda like the drink!" She said.

"And you're Olivia Wood, like the stuff that comes from trees." I said back. "You're my brother's new tutor?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Hi," Darry said as he got up and came to the door. "I'm Darry, Ponyboy's brother. And it looks like you already know Sodapop. Please come in."

It hadn't occurred to me that she was still outside.

She walked past me into the living room. She looked at Ponyboy. "Hi ponyboy, I'm Olivia, your new tutor."

"Oh, hey." He jumped off the couch and smoothed out his pizza-stained shirt. His other two tutors were ugly, and one of them was a little fat. Having a pretty tutor like Olivia was probably the last thing he expected.

"Pony's desk is in his room, so you guys can either go in there or Soda and I can go in there so the TV won't distract you." Darry offered to cover up the akward silence.

********************************************

Two hours later (the longest time any of Pony's tutors lasted), both of them came out of his room.

"Okay, I've got to head home. But we were able to get through a lot." Olivia said.

"Oh, well thanks Olivia. How much do I owe you?" Darry asked.

She waved the money away with her hand. "First sessions are free with me."

"Oh, wow, thank you." Darry said back.

She was on her way out when I built up my nerve big enough.

"Hey, Olivia?" I got up and ran to the door. "I was wondering if you would, you know, maybe, like, want to go to the movies with me?"

"Like a date?" She asked with curiousity on her face. "Because Ponyboy won't get better grades from me if thats what you're looking for."

"Yeah, like a date. And I know." I said back. My hand was shaking. I've never gotten any more than a 'yes' or 'no' from a girl. No one has ever asked questions.

"Uh... sure why not." She said. I exhaled the breath I was holding in.

"Great, when do you want to go?" I asked. Both of my brothers were staring at us now, probably enjoying the show.

"I'm free right now." Olivia said, now smiling. Sure, it was short notice, but if we didn't go right then, we'd have to wait a week, since she had school on Monday.

"Okay." I said. "One second." I turned to Darry and whispered, "Can I borrow some money?" Darry sighed and pulled out his wallet. I took the money he was holding out. "Thank you."

Olivia and I walked out.


	3. Hey Daddy

Disclaimer: I am NOT S.E. Hinton. i.e. I do not own the outsiders. Just Olivia.

**Soda POV**

The date went well. It was the first time in a long time that I was able to sit through an entire movie. Usually I can't stand it and offer for my date and I to leave and go do something else.

I walked her home after the movie. I didn't know what time it was, but I was guessing that she needed to get home. We talked the entire way to her house. She was seventeen (like me!) and in three or four of Steve's classes. Both of her parents were her age when she was born, so they were 34 (I did the math all by myself). She liked to volunteer with kids. She got to babysit her nieces and nephews a lot when her older brother visited with his wife from Washington.

I didn't want to tell her anything about me because I was afraid of scaring her. _Yeah, sounds like your life is pretty cool. Both of my parents died, so I had to drop out of school. Two of my best friends died in one night. One of them killed a guy a week earlier and the other robbed a store then tricked some cops into shooting him. Oh yeah, and my ex-girlfriend had sex with some dude, got herself pregnant, and broke up with me so she could move in with her grandmother in Florida while my little brother was missing. _

I didn't want to scare her. I liked her a lot. She was easy to talk to. When you had nothing to say, she did so that there were no awkward silences.

We got to her door. She turned to face me. I could tell we only had a minute before one of her parents came out to make sure she was still alive. I took her hands in mine.

"I'm glad we did this." She said.

"Me too." I said back.

I leaned in to kiss her. She kissed me right back. I hadn't been that happy since Sandy left.

We were still mid-kiss when we heard her front door open. We broke off quickly.

Her father was big. Almost as big as Darry. He had that look in his eye that said _If you go to far with my daughter, I'll roast you alive._

"Hey, Daddy." Olivia said.

His arms were crossed. "Get inside, it's late." He said to his daughter.

"Night, Soda." She said to me before she walked inside.

Her dad was still staring at me. "How many hands do you have, Son?" He asked me. His voice was deeper than Darry's.

"Um, just two, Sir." I answered back.

"Well, if you know what's good for you, you'll keep them to yourself. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Good night, sir." I said.

Mr. Wood walked into his house and closed the door behind him.

I was still smiling when I walked through the front door of my house. Two-Bit and Steve were now there.

"How'd it go?" Darry asked.

I exhaled deeply, still grinning. "Amazing."

Darry said, "I can tell."

"How, by my smiling?" I asked.

"No," Darry said casually. "By the pink lip gloss you're wearing."

Ponyboy practically choked on the water he was drinking. Two-Bit broke out laughing. Steve turned away so I couldn't see him break out a smile.

"Ha ha, you guys are so funny." I said right before I wiped my mouth off using the back of my hand.

Later that night, in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about Olivia. She opened my heart, no matter how cheesy it sounds. She doesn't beat around the bush, she just says exactly what she needs to say.

I never got that with Sandy. She was always one for those stupid head games that guys hate more than anything.

That night, right before we kissed, I looked into Olivia's eyes, and saw how beautiful they really were. They were a green, not just any green though. She had such rich, emerald green eyes. They were gorgeous, just like the rest of her.

That night I dreamt of her. Of her smile, of her laugh. I knew that I met her just earlier that same day, but no matter if we ever saw each other again, I could never forget Olivia Wood.

The next day, of course, I had to work again. Steve was on a hangover, so he wasn't exactly great company. I was just about ready to scrape my head against a cheese grater. I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. Maybe if I stayed like that long enough, my shift would just end. I heard the bell above the door ring. _Yay, _ I thought, _now I get to deal with a most likely rude customer._

"Hey, do you have narcolepsy or something?" A familiar voice asked. I looked forward and saw Olivia, wearing an outfit most girls around here wouldn't be caught dead in. She wore a pair of jeans, a purple tank-top, and a black zip-up hoodie. Her hair was put up in a messy ponytail with her shorter bangs framing her face.

"Oh, hey, what's going on?" I asked. Steve groaned from next to me.

"I gotta take a leak." he mumbled before staggering to the bathroom.

"Sorry if my dad scared you last night." Olivia said. "He's really not as strong as he looks. My brother can beat him at arm wrestling."

"How old is your brother?"

"Twenty." she answered back.

"Wait, both of your parents are only 34." I said. I may not be that good at math, but I was pretty sure that meant her parents were fourteen when their first kid was born.

"Yeah," Olivia's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Ryan, my brother, was the reason that they got married so young. He was born when they were fourteen, and they got married at fifteen." She shrugged. I guess living with that idea didn't seem so weird when you lived with it for seventeen years. To me, that seemed really messed up.

Steve came out of the bathroom.

"Steve, man, you look awful. Go home, I'll cover your shift." Soda said.

"Okay, thanks man." he said back. He stumbled out the door before anyone could say anything else.

I only had an hour left of my shift.

"So," Olivia started. "Tell me about you. I was hogging the conversation last night."

"You were not." I said back. "What do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "Anything."

I had an idea. It was probably ninety degrees out. No one would come to the gas station. I walked to the door and flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed'.

"Want to go to my house and talk?" I asked.

"Sure." she smiled.

We were outside, walking side by side when I got up the courage to take her hand and intertwine our fingers. She didn't seem bothered by it. She actually seemed happy.


End file.
